Zain Bahrain steps up Esports presence

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Zain Bahrain, a telecommunications industry innovator in the Kingdom, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) yesterday with Bahrain Esports Federation and teamed up with PLAYHERA to cooperate and jointly leverage their strengths to grow the gaming and Esports ecosystem in the Kingdom. The collaboration aims to support and explore Esports enthusiasts and gamers through organising Esports championships and tournaments, and exploring the potential of esports in the Kingdom, which comes as part of Zain Bahrain’s future roadmap to grow the gaming community.

In support of both entities, Zain Bahrain will also be able to organise and launch the first ranked Esports summer championship in the Kingdom, which will provide an excellent opportunity to pilot Esports and offer the community another exciting event in the Esports calendar. The championship will soon be announced and will be open for all gamers over 13 years old. Furthermore, it is noteworthy to mention that without Bahrain Esports Federation, Zain Bahrain will not be able to accelerate and proceed with the first ranked Esports Championship in Bahrain to develop the Esports culture in the Kingdom and enhance the presence of players in local and global competitions.

Abdulla Bin Khalid Al Khalifa, Zain Bahrain Director of Communications and Investor Relations, commented: “Esports continues to grow dramatically in popularity and participation, particularly amongst young people, and the Middle East is one of the fastest-growing gaming regions in the world, and Zain Bahrain aims to explore and create opportunities for the Esports enthusiasts and gamers to participate in a team environment like traditional sport with all the benefits.

“We hope to play a major regional role as an enabler of Esports, to grow the gaming ecosystem collectively, and give gamers the support and recognition they deserve to compete globally.” He added: “The collaboration with Bahrain Esports Federation and PLAYHERA will play an important role in discovering and supporting new local gaming talents, organising Esports Championships, and building a vibrant gaming scene, reflecting 2030 vision towards improving youth skills.”

Proud

Hussain AlKooheji, President of Bahrain Esports Federation, said: “We are proud to partner with Zain Bahrain to provide more opportunities to local gamers and Esports enthusiasts and to build and expedite the growth of Esports in the Kingdom. “We look forward to launch the first-ranked Esports summer championship in the Kingdom.” Naif Mulaeb, Chairman and CEO of PLAYHERA MENA, added: “Throughout our collaboration with Zain Bahrain, we will be able to leverage our technology, expertise, and market knowledge to ensure that a national-level Esports team in Bahrain are properly built from the grounds up.

“We wish to be the partner that Zain Bahrain relies on when dealing with Federations, teams, influencers, and other entities, and we will carry such burdens off your shoulders because it is our bread and butter.” Zain Bahrain has also recently signed a three-year partnership with Bahrain Schools and Collegiate Athletics Association (BSCAA) to build Esports’s ecosystem and advocate its values across the Kingdom. The partnership aims to support Zain Bahrain in hosting online and physical Esport events for school students across the Kingdom, including organising boot camps, tournaments, and championships that will foster the growth and upskilling of gaming talents, as well as further developing their cognitive skills.

Gaming is part of a digital world without borders, where fast network speeds, connectivity, and local market knowledge is critical; it is a natural and perfect fit for Zain. The vision of Zain Esports across the region aims to unite and support esports amateurs, professionals, content creators, casters, commentators, teams, fans, organizers, and sponsors under one roof. It also aligns with its strategy of promoting sporting excellence, health and fitness, and empowerment across the youth in the Kingdom.

It also contributes to the Zain Bahrain Sustainability Strategy that aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): Goal 3 Good Health and Wellbeing and Goal 17 Partnership for the Goals. Groupwide, Zain is inspired by the competitive spirit of the 20,000-plus gamers who have played in the various tournaments held over the last 18 months and the enormous social media following that has been garnered, which exceeds 45 million views on Zain’s YouTube, Twitch and other social media channels.